**4.7 Generalized anxiety disorder**

It is an anxiety disorder characterized by being chronic and unrealistic, and extreme anxiety that must last at least 6 months. Symptoms can cause distress to the person in social, professional and other important areas. Individuals with this disorder are constantly worried. Restlessness, excessive excitement, fatigue, sleep disturbance and muscle tension are significant symptoms. Anxiety often results in difficulty in making self-decisions, and the person seeks constant approval from those around him. They always feel like they are going to get bad news. It usually starts in childhood and adolescence [2].

*Comorbidity:* It is seen with depression and other anxiety disorders.

*Treatment:* Cognitive-behavioral, supportive and insight oriented therapy and pharmacotherapy have a role in its treatment. The main drug groups used in the


**Table 1.** *Specific classification of simple phobias.* treatment are benzodiazepines, SSRI, buspirone and venlafaxine. Benzodiazepines in treatment should be started with the lowest dose of the therapeutic range to be used and the dose should be increased in case of unresponsiveness [1].

## **4.8 Anxiety disorder associated with another medical condition and substance/ medication-induced anxiety**

Symptoms associated with these disorders are evaluated directly as a physiological consequence of another medical condition or directly due to substance intoxication or deprivation or exposure to the drug. Many medical conditions are related to the development of anxiety symptoms. Some of these include cardiac conditions such as myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and mitral valve prolapse, endocrine conditions such as hypoglycemia, hypo/hyperthyroidism and pheochromocytoma, respiratory conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and hyperventilation, and complex partial seizures, neoplasms and encephalitis [12].
